SAN FRANCISCO – Morrison & Foerster once again has been recognized as one of the best U.S. law firms for women to work, in an annual survey conducted by Working Mother magazine in partnership with Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. This is the sixth year that MoFo has been named to the Best Law Firms for Women list since Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers began the surveys in 2007.
The Best Law Firms for Women 2014 recognized U.S. law firms that create and use best practices in retaining and promoting women lawyers. Working Mother magazine, the only national magazine for career-committed mothers, and Flex-Time Lawyers, an international consulting firm that provides advisory and training services on workplace issues, noted that the winning law firms “lead the industry in supporting flexible work arrangements and offering generous paid parental leave.” The researchers also indicated that the firms recognized “ensure that lawyers who take advantage of family friendly programs are not excluded from the partnership or leadership track.”
Morrison & Foerster is well-known for supporting its women attorneys. The firm’s Women’s Initiative Committee focuses on the retention and promotion of women lawyers, and its successes have been recognized by outside organizations.
The law firm was the first ever to receive the prestigious Catalyst Award presented annually to corporations and professional firms that demonstrate a commitment to the leadership development of women employees.
Additionally, for four consecutive years, MoFo has received Gold Standard Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum in recognition of the integration of women into leadership roles.
Yale Law Women selected MoFo to its prestigious Top 10 Family Friendly Firms List for 2014, taking home top honors in three key measures of family-friendly practices: partner promotions of attorneys on part/flex-time; gender parity in partner promotions; and gender equitable composition of the Executive Committee.
Additionally, Euromoney Legal Media Group recognized MoFo as the Best International Law Firm for Work-Life Balance at the 2014 Americas Women in Business Law Awards.
Morrison & Foerster also has hosted for the past three years an annual Summit for Women In-House Counsel, a day-long event designed by and tailored to women lawyers, which addresses the professional needs of the growing population of women in-house counsel.
“Being named to the Best Law Firms for Women list is a great honor for MoFo, and serves as another confirmation of the firm’s commitment to ensuring that women, particularly those juggling the demands of family, have the opportunity to thrive and pursue leadership roles here,” said Morrison & Foerster firmwide managing partner Anna Erickson White.
In addition to Ms. White, other women at the firm who hold leadership posts include: Rebekah Kaufman, co-chair of the firm’s Global Litigation Department; Pamela Reed, vice chair of the Corporate and Finance Departments; Rachel Krevans, chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group and co-chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group; and Miriam Wugmeister, chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Global Privacy and Data Security Group. Additionally, eight other women hold senior leadership roles among the firm’s practice groups.
Carol Evans, president of Working Mother Media, says, “An amazing abundance of female talent has poured into the field of law. It is critical that this talent is allowed to succeed, and that the culture of the law industry adjusts to the work life needs of women. The Best Law Firms for Women are leading the way for all law firms to follow.”
Deborah Epstein Henry, president of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, states, “Being a women-friendly workplace today means much more than having the policies and infrastructure in place to enable all lawyers to thrive. It also means having significant work/life usage rates and high representation of women among the equity partner and leadership ranks to demonstrate that such policies are indeed viable.”The methodology of the Best Law Firms for Women survey is based on law firms’ submission of applications that contain more than 300 questions about workforce representation; time off and leaves; child care; flexibility; leadership, compensation and advancement of women; and development and retention of women. Female presence, roles, policies, programs, and usage rates are also surveyed. The researchers use a scoring algorithm based on the previous year’s benchmark results, which then determines the winners. Law firms are eligible to apply if they have 50 or more U.S. lawyers.
